EVERYWHERE IT'S CHRISTMAS

Last week I shared some stories about my trees over the years. I probably sounded a little bit particular about what I did and didn't like. (Christmas balls!). I relented a little and bought a few vintage glass balls to add to the tree. I really couldn't find very many, and when I did, the prices were mostly more than I wanted to pay. I love old things, but I don't always understand why keeping them in an old falling apart original box makes them worth so much more money. So now we have some old bubble lights, breakable glass ornaments, and two funny little elves living in our tree. They wouldn't be my choice, but I guess it isn't just my Christmas. John's taste is a lot different than mine. I'm just glad he doesn't insist on ornaments with googly eyes. Actually, the little elves are pretty cute. I found them at Target and they were just the right size for the red ladder.

I'm really not sure what the story is about Target and some of the other stores this year. I was there earlier in the season and thought they were just putting merchandise out later than usual. But now it almost looks like they are finished and clearing it out. I don't know if a large amount has been sold or if it was never in stock.

I'm not one to talk to strangers in stores, but I was so discombobulated by the vast emptiness in the Christmas aisles that I started a conversation with another shopper. She was just as surprised as I was. I will probably be back in a few days and will check again. It seems too early to be clearing it all out. Maybe they just haven't gotten everything in yet. Could this be a result of the tariffs?  Are other stores like this too? I haven't done a lot of shopping this year. I've been ordering online. I have noticed that my packages are taking longer to get here, and that the arrival dates usually change at least once. We have cut our gift lists, and I am making some of the presents. Also, I am trying to shop more at the small independent businesses. 

Even though the big stores don't seem as festive as before, restaurants are going crazy with decorations. I went to lunch at a popular cafe this week, and they had put up even more than last week's pizza place. Every inch of the rooms was covered in sparkle! Dots of colored light fell from the ceiling to the floors, swirling around everywhere. Lights were dimmed to set off the colors. The ceiling and walls were covered and there were trees all over. Every table had a sign reminding customers not to stay more than an hour so that others could enjoy the views. For me, it was just too much.

                                                                               

                                 Pella, Iowa hosted its' annual tour of homes last weekend. Four beautiful houses were open to the public and they did have a large crowd. It is one of their big events every year. I really enjoy the clever ways that the owners decorate their homes. I guess I really am into quality over quantity. Or more likely, imagination over quantity. I don't like seeing bare shelves in stores, but I also feel that everything this year is either not enough or too much. I am feeling very Grinchy-Scroogy and wanting to simplify. HoHoHo.

  

 

Deck the Halls

 Christmas decorating has officially begun! I'd like to say it is all done and the boxes are safely shuffled and stacked back into the storage room, but right now that hasn't happened. In fact, they are all over the house. Things stalled a bit because my sticky hooks just aren't sticking. That means I hang something up, admire it, and then find it back on the floor in a few hours.  

I will never have a Ralph Lauren Christmas. I love the elegance and the traditional colors and the concept of me in a tartan plaid hostess skirt welcoming all the neighbors as I twirl around the room with a tray of homemade goodies. Oh wait, maybe that is a 1950's housewife type of Christmas. I have learned from online videos that for a R.L. holiday, bright red and green are not acceptable, and that gifts should never be given in gift bags. And of course, everyone is always very low key and well behaved.  And the decorations stay where they are supposed to be.

There seem to be a lot of new/old trends this year. Paper chains are appearing everywhere. Yes, plain old paper chains like we made in grade school. I actually love paper chains. They are first cousins to buntings, which are another of my favorites. I crocheted a chain of many colors and use that with greenery. Fifteen years ago I made fabric chains and used my new sewing machine alphabets to write on them. I put names, dates, important addresses, and quotes that I liked to remember on the lengths and then buttoned them together. A lot of the fabrics were pieces of my girls' clothing when I used to sew a lot. I finally decided they weren't going to ever become a quilt. My girls are middle aged now. I still have a few of them to finish. Another project for another day.

I've heard several women say that they are decorating less this year than before. I know some who are even skipping having a tree. I can't imagine not having a tree, but I am putting up fewer decorations. I always like simple decorations. Almost everything I have for my tree comes with a story. I like one of a kind, and I have never been partial to balls and baubles. One year, when I was about ten years old, my mom decided to change the way she decorated our tree. The only things on it were blue and silver balls. I hated it. I think I cried. When I was a House Mom for five Christmases, I decorated the big tree with colorful and unbreakable balls. That was the only sensible way to go. 

When we were decorating our tree this year, John wanted to know where the glass balls were. His favorite trees are the ones with balls, tinsel, and colored bubble lights. I shouldn't have been surprised by that. When I first visited his house there was an almost life-sized Santa riding a rocking horse in his front room. It wasn't Christmas time. He stayed there year-round. We now have a tree in our lower level tv room that stays up all year. And it is mostly colorful round decorations. He loves it. I always wonder why it is there, but now I decorate it for the seasons.

Here is my style of Christmas decor:

And here is John's:

(This is not our home. Abbie's Pizza in Bondurant, Iowa)

Happy Thanksgiving

 

November is best known for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Many people think of this as a simple eating marathon, but of course that isn't what it was meant to be. The first Thanksgiving was in 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and was held to celebrate a successful harvest. It was based on English fall festivals, with a Pilgrim twist. This was the one we all learned about as gradeschoolers. I had never heard of the previous celebration in Jamestown in 1619. It was actually a prayer meeting, not a feast. The next official time was called "Solemn Thanksgiving" and was celebrated in June. A solemn Thanksgiving was known as a day of "fasting and humiliation." I am thinking it was a reminder to be humble and grateful for survival. It didn't really catch on. Most of us would rather feast than fast!

President George Washington declared a National Day of Thanksgiving in 1789. Other early presidents kept it as a holiday, except for Thomas Jefferson, and John Quincy Adams because of their beliefs about the separation of church and state. It didn't become an official holiday until 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln signed a proclamation calling on the American people to unite and observe a special day of thankfulness. Since that time, it has been celebrated every year, and since 1941, has always been on the fourth Thursday of November.

Sarah Josepha Hale was the woman responsible for making this a national holiday. She was the editor of Godey's Lady's Book, which was a very popular nineteenth century lady's magazine. She wrote a novel called "Northwood" in 1827. In it she described a Thanksgiving dinner with our traditional foods. Her characters discussed why it should be a national holiday. Mrs. Hale sent letters to governors and Presidents for over thirty years (!) to actively promote a single, consistent date for Thanksgiving. Finally, in 1863, President Lincoln listened to her and reminded the war-torn nation to be grateful for the "blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies" in an official Proclamation.

Franklin Roosevelt changed the date to the third Thursday in November in 1939. He said that a longer Christmas shopping season would be better for economic recovery of the country. I'm pretty sure he was influenced by the retailers. Only 32 states accepted the new date, and finally in 1941, Congress set a fixed date of the fourth Thursday in November. I would prefer it to be the third.

Wishing everyone a happy day of peace and plenty with a reminder to us all to give thanks and be grateful. 

Sweet November

No morn-no noon-

No dawn-no dusk-no proper time of day...

No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,

No comfortable feel in any member-

No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,

No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds,-

November!

                                               -Thomas Hood, English poet

                                          1799-1845

Yes, it is true that November can seem like the grayest and most dismal month of the year. We get up in the dark and come home in the dark, and for many of us it is just too early to start our holiday decorating.

This year I have noticed that more and more houses already have their trees up and the outside decorated. I'm not sure if that's because the holiday is so late or that people just need a little more cheer than usual! Even the style this year has gone back to old fashioned and traditional. I keep seeing and hearing Ralph Lauren and Little Women or Little House on the Prairie decorating. Buntings, paper chains, and orange and apple slices are now the popular way again to accent your house!

Even though that's been my way to decorate for years, this is still too early for me. I did manage to make Halloween disappear, but I still have some fabric pumpkins, and a couple of Thanksgiving banners hanging up. And they will stay until that holiday is over. I don't really decorate a lot for Turkey Day. I love Halloween and I adore Christmas, but for me Thanksgiving is just stuck there in the middle. 

I've had lots of big family traditional dinners but have never really cooked one. When I was growing up, and then when my children were young, we always went to "The Farm." It was the kind of Thanksgiving dinner that everyone should have. My favorite aunt and uncle hosted and everyone ate a lot. My dad had six brothers and sisters, so there was always a crowd, with lots of cousins. The table was set with the good china, and the younger ones had a table of their own. Most of the family weren't active church goers so there was always an awkward moment while somebody cobbled together a thankful prayer of grace. Afterwards, the men napped or went pheasant hunting while the women gossiped in the kitchen and the kids explored the rambling old house. Then the eating began all over again. It wasn't exactly a Norman Rockwell scene, but just about as close as my family got.

Of course, we've had lots of other Thanksgiving dinners since then. All were special in their own ways. And some of them came with tears along with the turkey. We'll never forget the one where the tablecloth caught fire. Or the one where I invited all the family and some friends to the fraternity house and my son-in-law cooked dinner in the fancy new kitchen. Now we divide our time with two families and different traditions. Our California Thanksgiving was beautiful, but we are glad not to be traveling during the holidays this year. 

Isn't it curious that this dark, damp and dreary time of the year is the time we are most reminded to be thankful? Perhaps it is good to remember this is just a little respite, a time between the October harvest, and the lights and sparkle of the December holidays.

Don't forget to count your Blessings!

VETERANS DAY, REMEMBRANCE DAY

Tuesday, November 11 is our Veterans Day, known as Remembrance Day in other parts of the world. It marks the signing of the Armistice of World War I, which officially took effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

When I was in junior high, our history teacher required each of us to learn the poem "In Flanders Fields". One by one, we all had to recite it to him in the back of the room. I loved that poem. It still makes me cry. I remember every word and have been known to quote it at odd moments.

The poem was written by a Canadian soldier, John McCrea, after his friend was killed in the battle in 1915. A few years later, in November of 1918, Moina Michael wrote a reply to the poem and vowed to wear a red poppy every day as a symbol of remembrance. She sold poppy flower corsages to raise money for veterans and their families and became known as "The Poppy Lady"

Although the First World War was proclaimed to be the War to End all Wars, unfortunately, it was not. 

We went to the movie "Nuremberg" on Tuesday. I didn't think I would like it, but I did. It is a movie that stays with you. It was first released at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7. It got a four minute standing ovation, which was the first time that happened.

It is based on the true story of the trials of German Nazis after the end of World War II. The main story line is about the psychiatrist who interviewed them to keep track of their psychological states. He was to evaluate whether they were able to stand trial. The focus is on  his relationship with Herman Goering. 

Although Dr. Douglas Kelly wrote a book after the trial, it was never well received. It's out of print, but I might try to find it. The book that the movie is based on was written in 2013 by Jack El-Hai. It's called "The Nazi and the Psychiatrist". I've ordered it.

I read several reviews of the movie and they were not always good. I think it was definitely worth seeing.

          "The only clue to what man can do is what man has done."                                                               R.G. Collingwood       

 When John and I combined households six years ago, we realized right away that we had more things than we had room to keep. I had already downsized several times, but I don't think he and his first wife had ever let anything go. We realized right away that many, many items needed to move on to family, or friends, thrift shop donations, the end of the driveway, or the dumpster. I rented a small booth at a local antique mall and started pricing our "treasures". My booth has never had a theme or been truly staged. But now, finally, I am running low on inventory. Except for some handcrafted items that I've made, (and a few storage pieces) I have never bought something just to put in the booth. My dilemma is this--is it time to get serious and put more money and personality into this space or is it time to let it go?

 

I'm really not much of a shopper. I lose interest pretty quickly in department stores. Clothes shopping doesn't excite me at all.  I do love to look at everything in big box stores. I want to see all the books, the toys, the holiday decorations and the housewares. I enjoy craft and fabric stores even though there are getting to be fewer and fewer of them. Cute little boutiques and garage sales make me nervous because I always feel obligated to buy something even if I don't want anything. But thrift stores are different.

 

 I am afraid that I may have been bitten by the dangerous insect called the "Thrift Store Bug". Twice a week I attend a Pilates class unless I talk myself out of it. I have just discovered that there are at least six thrift stores between my class and my home. My initial plan was to buy items to resell at a profit. So, I have been cruising the aisles the past few days. I found a vintage nativity set from Italy. FOR ME. Two old tin containers jumped into my cart. FOR ME. A tiny suitcase FOR ME. Three white baby dresses FOR ME. I may have to rethink this plan.

An Invitation to Tea

 

 

A Witches' Tea 

will be served at three

  For all my magic friends

      And Me 

                                                          

You're invited to prepare the pot

And drink it while it's piping hot

We'll have some treats upon a tray

And nibble til it's time to play

We'll practice all our games and spells

Until we all can do them well

And from the cups the leaves we'll read

And tell some fortunes with great speed

For it's a busy day,  you see

And yet we must make time for tea

And afterwards a fond goodbye

As on our brooms to home we'll fly.

       

If I forgot to tell you where

I guess that we won't see you there.

                                                                 SMB

(This is a reprint of a post I did a few years ago. I did add a few more lines to my poem to make it new again. This will be my last post before Halloween. And we all know what comes next.)

Almost Halloween

 

I do love Halloween decor, even though I keep it pretty simple. I've shown this bookcase lots of times, but I will never get tired of it. Most of my Halloween books are for children, just because they are the most fun. I can't resist cute-scary witches and haunted houses.

Most of the places I have lived have had fireplaces. We still haven't used this one, but I always enjoy having a mantel. The picture is non-negotiable. John's mother had this print of Captain Bly for as long as he can remember, and then it was passed on to him. It's always had a place in his houses, but this is the first house where there has been a fireplace. So now he has a place of honor. I really need to read about him. All I know is from the old movie "Mutiny on the Bounty". I always wonder why I have this portrait of a crazy person in my house. My taste usually leans toward florals and landscapes. 

The rest of the items on the mantel change frequently. Right now I have three pumpkin candlesticks that I made from a Dollar Tree video. I do have a passion for that store, but it's always hard to find things. I did manage to get the little witch hats for the pumpkin heads, but never saw another one. They either don't get them in, or they disappear quickly. I know there are women out there buying up all the supplies, especially when I only need one of something. But I digress. The pumpkins are something I will take apart and re-use, probably for Christmas.

I found the orange shelf many years ago and decided it was perfect for Halloween potion bottles. It changes from year to year. One year a grandson (who is now all grown up) and I had a good time deciding what to put in the bottles. The Witch's Brew was green and sparkly paper. Ghost In a Bottle was stretched out cotton balls. Poison Ivy was dried plants. My favorite label says "Rue--Adds a Touch of Regret to Any Dish". I used to have rue growing in my herb garden. It was lovely but could leave a nasty rash if touched without gloves.

I planned to decorate the Witch's hat but it hasn't happened yet. The boots remind me of the ones I wore every day when I worked at a Living History museum.

Today is just a little touch of Halloween about the house. Fall has finally arrived after many days of tricking us into thinking it is still summer. So the furnace is on and so are the sweaters. I have to remind myself that it is time to wear socks! I hope we all enjoy this peek into Halloween!

A Witchy Wish

                             When your fortune on Halloween is told                                   Your beauty will last and you will never look old.

GALENA: A LITTLE TOWN WITH A BIG STORY

We enjoyed our little trip to Galena, Illinois last week. It was the second time that we've been there together. The weather was beautiful, even though most of the leaves hadn't changed yet. It is a very hilly and wooded area, so it will be beautiful in another week or so. Galena is a river town, built along the Mississippi. There are a few old mansions open to tour, including the home of former President, Ulysses S. Grant. The oldest house in Galena was built as a trading post in 1826. There is also a very long main street with many shops and restaurants. We spent a lot of our time walking around seeing the shops and sampling the restaurants. We had been to some of the houses on a past trip, so we didn't go this time. I can always visit the stores more than once!

One night we had dinner at VinnyVannucchi's which is up a steep stone street. Once we got there, they only had one table open and it was on the third floor. I truly felt like I was back in Italy with all the walking! There were several Italian restaurants. I looked in some of the windows and a lot of them reminded me of the wonderful places that my friend Kris and I went to exactly a year ago. 

We stayed at the Irish Cottage which is a very nice place just a few minutes from the town. It isn't an old building though it has a wonderful ambience. The connecting pub was actually furnished with fixtures from Ireland. The bar has a snug at each end. I watch a lot of British tv, and people always seem to be going to the snug for private meetings and conversations. Each one is a small room with a window connected directly to the bar. We sat in the Victorian snug one night and drank Irish drinks and listened to the band. It was lovely.

I liked the other Snug too. It was a little smaller, but naturally I would like to have the cupboards and drawers. I will always miss my little she-shed cottage, but maybe I should have a snug.

On the wall by the stage is a quote from the poet Arthur Shaughnessy. His poem "Ode" was written in 1875.

Another of my favorite places was the library with names of Irish authors above the shelves. I did spend some pleasant hours there.

The guests were friendly, and we enjoyed talking with some of the other travelers. I do admit to being an eavesdropper and peoplewatcher. This was a habit I developed when I spent so many years eating alone. I would always look at other diners, imagine their lives and listen to their conversations. One of the funniest things we heard was at breakfast our first morning. A woman walked by an older gentleman who was innocently enjoying his meal and asked him if she could rub his bald head. She commented that it was very shiny and then asked him if he used a moisturizer on it. I warned John that he had better keep his hat on. We didn't see her again. There was another woman at breakfast with a gravity defying bun on the top of her head. We saw her several times in the shops and it barely moved. I was in the buffet line with her friend who told me all the reasons why she couldn't eat eggs. They were part of a "girls trip" who all had matching tee shirts. You see a lot of those in Galena. It's a fun place to go and I recommend it. We had a really nice time. John and I are very good at short trips, but we have really become homebodies in our golden years. I'm looking forward to many more anniversaries for us.

Wedded Bliss

 

October 12 will be our sixth wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe that we have been married that long. I still think of us as newlyweds. Crazy young kids. Even though at our age, we should be counting every year as ten. That would make this our sixtieth. How time flies. We've decided to take a few days and celebrate in Galena, since it's such a cute little town and only a few hours away. We spent our original honeymoon in Laramie, even though that wasn't our plan. Our car (practically new) broke down, and so we spent most of our time either driving or being stranded or waiting around in dealerships. It wasn't the best way to start a marriage but we managed to survive it. Our trip was cut short, and we drove our loaner car home and returned in mid-December when ours was finally fixed. This was my first hint that John isn't a great traveler. One of my favorite places in Laramie was a bookstore called "The Second Story". It was upstairs in a building originally used as a brothel back in the wild, wild west. There were lots of little rooms.

The name may just sound familiar since it is what I call my writings. It seemed very fitting since this is the second story of our lives. It was also the name that I gave to my little she-shed cottage. Sadly, I had to leave it when we moved. My cottage and the front porch are the only things I really miss about our first house.

I have a very nice book of wedding photographs, but since it is the middle of the night and I should be packing for tomorrow I don't have much to show. 

Getting married for a second time is very different than the first. Jim and I were very young even though we didn't think so at the time. We were both barely nineteen. Keeping a home and a marriage were both very new to us and we learned together. We were married for almost forty-three years. After that I was on my own for nine years. I became very independent with my time and money. I got used to never telling anyone where I was going or when I would be back. I hadn't dated anyone until I started seeing John. I think we were both surprised that we fit so well together. And we were also surprised that we could love someone again. Every day I am grateful that he came into my life.

Usually, I don't spend a lot of time thinking about what I want to write. I just write from my heart. (I hear that a lot on cooking shows. "Just measure from your heart". It makes me laugh.) This time I really spent some time thinking about it. I asked John what he felt was different about a second marriage and what changes he had to make. He couldn't come up with a single thing. Of course, I had a very long list. Most of them are minor and not very important, but they were still changes in my life. When a person has lived many years as an adult, she becomes accustomed to doing things a certain particular way. And then she marries someone who is also used to doing things his own way. Most of these are not very important at all. They are just things I've noticed along the way. 

When we got married in 2019 I moved into the house where John had been happily living for over thirty years. It was a nice place but it never felt like mine. I always said he had the home court advantage because he had lived there so long. Two years ago, we moved to our house. It's the right home for us.

Here are some of the things that we never really think about because we have always done them our own way. One person has to change. I'm pretty sure it is usually the woman.

How do you make the bed?

What brand names do you buy?

How do you cook certain foods?

Are you a cuddler or do you like to sew and work on craft projects while you watch tv?

What kind of tv shows do you watch?

Do you like to be early or are you always late?

Do you stock up or wait until you are almost out of whatever?

What are your politics?

How do you put the toilet paper roll on the holder?

Which side of the bed do you sleep on?

Do you like to read yourself to sleep?

Do you go to bed early or late?

I'm not saying these are problems! We just don't usually think about why we do things the way that we do. It is hard to change after so many years of being a certain way. And so, we have our own bathrooms and never talk about politics. I am very happy with my Second Story. And I am wishing for many more anniversaries together.

 Welcome to October, my favorite month. Even though it is unusually warm for this time of year, the trees are starting to turn and the evenings are crisp and cool. I could let these days last forever. Soon we will have the surprising first frost, which is almost always followed by warm, almost summery weather. Here in the midwest the seasons are always well defined. Black walnuts, acorns, and drifting leaves are thick and crunchy upon the ground. This is the weather that calls to us. It reminds us to spend as much time as possible outside while we can enjoy it.

October is a time to enjoy the colors. It's also a time to remember that the holidays are beginning. Years ago, when I was busy selling at craft fairs, I felt like I was already late for Christmas by now. Luckily, I've managed to overcome that October panic and to enjoy one holiday at a time. Now I just concentrate on autumn and Halloween during this month. And I take time to enjoy it more. But I still like to decorate the easy and inexpensive way.

Halloween has become the second most decorated holiday here in the United States. The stores are filled with creepy, scary, gory decorations early in August or September. If you don't want to get involved with elaborate decorating there are still lots of simple ways to welcome the season without spending a lot of money. I have some old ideas that are still adaptable today.

Grocery stores carry a large variety of pumpkins, squash and gourds this time of year. There are also some farmers markets open in October. Buy a few and arrange them in a basket, bowl or just on a table. When it gets closer to the end of October, these can be carved into jack-o-lanterns. There are artificial pumpkins now that can be more easily carved, last longer, and don't make such a mess. They can be stored for several years, but aren't nearly as much fun to make.

When you are out enjoying that autumn walk, look for fallen tree branches. A large one will make a great tree for your hanging decorations. Put it in a pot, goody bag, or pumpkin with a bit of plaster to keep it steady. Over-achievers may want to paint the branch and give it a little sparkle but plain works just fine. I like to add some ribbons and black netting or cheesecloth. Don't forget the fairy lights.

Fabrics come in lots of Halloween and fall prints. I made a table runner for my dining room with a Halloween print on one side and an autumn design on the other. I've also made pumpkins from old plaid shirts and sweaters. 

Ghosts are popular again this year. They are good to make from cheesecloth or old lace doilies. 

Grapevine wreath bases can be changed for the seasons. Instead of attaching the flowers and ribbons permanently, they can be woven through the vines. This doesn't work as well on a door that is used every day, but it is sturdy enough for a wall.

Some of my decorating ideas seem a little out of date because they are. These are things that I have been doing for years. Now the decor has definitely changed to trendier, flashier and bigger. People buy blow up yard decorations and sculptures that can be twenty feet tall! Inside the house, pink has become a staple color. I guess I am a Halloween purist. I like orange, black, and purple. No monsters, bats, or skeletons for me. I stick with witches, ghosts and pumpkins.

  

When I share that I have a blog the most common reaction is surprise. Because I write but also surprise that people still read blogs. I hear they are going quite out of style. I guess that is because reading takes too long. Even though my little articles take about two minutes to get through, that is too much time for modern readers.   I love to read but I find that I don't have the attention span that I used to possess. I keep checking out too many books from the library, but many of them are returned unloved and unread. 

 When I was unhappy, I used to journal almost every day but changed that habit after I got married to John. Now I keep a lot of random notebooks with thoughts and lists and things I learn from people who make vlogs and videos. I started watching them to see what they were like and if I would ever be able to film one. (I think no is the answer.) I do have a small tripod but have never tried to use it. If I had started years ago maybe I would have liked to have been an Influencer, but now the thought of it all is just too much. I have several you tube videos that I like to watch. A favorite is Jennifer L. Scott. She has written several books and started her Madame Chic series after spending a college semester in France. Now she is my idea of a perfect homemaker. Her house always looks quiet and perfect. She dresses beautifully, exercises on schedule, and gets up at 5:00 am to make her videos and write her latest book. I never see signs of her husband and four home-schooled children. I am enthralled just watching her cook and paint her fingernails. Not at the same time of course, but she probably could. 

There are so many more that I like to watch. An American countess who tours British historic homes is another favorite. I always like a good tour guide. There are so many women who live in perfect little cottages and wear velvet capes when they go outside to frolic in the snow. As you see, in my fantasy life I dwell in the possibility of perfection. (Apologies to Emily Dickenson)

****************

In our family September is the cruelest month. Even after all these years, I still spend most of the month in a fog. The closer it gets to the end of the month the more my mind jumps all over the place. Rich died fifteen years ago on September 23. It is by remembering that we keep our loved ones with us, but it never becomes easy. I miss you, Richie. Love, Mom

Reading and Writing

 I do my best writing in the middle of the night. But last night I decided to let it wait. It's still Wednesday so technically I am keeping my write-once-a-week promise to myself, but I am spending way too much time today just getting lost in computer land. There is so much going on this week, in the world, and in my own little area of the world that I just can't keep a focus on one thing only.

 Almost everything in my life revolves around books. There are books on any subject we can imagine.

We are having a much needed rainy day today, so nothing sounds better than a cozy nook, a good book, a blanket, and a cup of tea. Although I can't stop collecting books, I don't read nearly as much as I used to. I try to read at least a couple of chapters of whatever novel I want to finish every day. I am a grand one at making promises to myself. Sometimes I keep them. Other times I don't.

I am also a big fan of self-help books, diet books, and cook books. Oh, and all kinds of crafting books, histories, and biographies. About the only things I don't want to read are true crime stories. And, if it's a novel, then it must have a happy ending.

I have never been in a book club. A couple of online ones, but that's not the same. When we were dating, John said he'd like to start a book club, but he wanted to be the only one who talked. I think he just liked the idea of reading a book and then telling his audience (me) about it.

When I was googling all sorts of ideas today, I first saw ads for anxiety book shelves. I learned a lot about anxiety in a few clicks, and may write more about it later. There is so much for people to be anxious about lately.  These are boxes with a glass front that contain miniature books in a bookcase. The idea is to arrange it however you want and then shake it so the books fall out. Then you can rearrange it. I guess this helps with stress but that makes me feel stressed just by thinking about it.

I have a little bookshelf that I am planning to use in a Christmas miniature scene. I won't be knocking it over on purpose though.

The quotes I used in these photos are by Dr. Seuss.  I made the pictures using AI. I am just beginning to learn about it. It is amazing to say what I want and it just happens. I am only using the free setups so it's pretty limited but it's lots of fun. Unfortunately, this time I spent more time playing than writing.